The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD Project

Provincial Government Targets Rimba Raya for Conversion ofForest Lands to Oil PalmThe basis for “additionality” in the project area is “AvoidingPlanned Deforestation” where government land-­‐use planningpolicy specifically targets the project zone for conversion from a“forest” classification to a “non-­‐forest classification for industrialagriculture exploitation” (principally oil palm). Under the VCSGuidelines for AFOLU Projects, “Planned Deforestation” canencompass a wide variety of activities such as: nationalresettlement programs from non-­‐forested to forested regions;plans to convert well-­‐managed community-­‐owned forests to othernon-­‐forest uses; planned forest conversion for urban, rural, andinfrastructure development; and in the case applicable to RimbaRaya, national land plans to reduce the forest estate and convertit to industrial-­‐scale production of commodities such as soybeans,pulpwood12, and oil palm. Other forms of planned deforestationcould include decisions by individual landowners or communitygroups, whose land is legally zoned for agriculture, to convert theirforest(s) to crop production or biofuel plantations. According tothe VCS-­‐Guidance for AFOLU Projects, these planneddeforestation activities would be outlined in land planning ormanagement documents, and could therefore be readily verifiedunder the VCS. Such is the case for Rimba Raya.In Rimba Raya, the majority of the project zone (total projectmanagement area) has been proposed by the provincialgovernment to be gazetted for conversion to non-­‐forestagricultural industrial estates. In response, oil palmconcessionaires applied for and were granted 5 concession areas,which comprise the entire project area (carbon accounting area)by the local regency (Bupati) and the provincial government(Governor).Figure 30. Map showing Project Zone boundaries withsurrounding active and approved palm oil concessions.106